Yet, I will praise You.

I'm a firm believer that music can speak to the soul. I'm also a firm believer that God will get you through the lowest valleys, the toughest days, the darkest hours...even when you feel He has broken you the most. 

Late last Wednesday evening, Chad's Uncle "Timmy" lost his battle with cancer. My mother-in-law and Chad's grandparents, Jack & Frieda, had been by his side for weeks as he toughed out some of his last days at home. Timmy was the second son to be taken from Chad's grandparents because of cancer. They've also had to bury a grandson who was killed in a car accident 2007 (that also left the other son in a coma for six months...yes, I'm talking about the same one who came out of the coma only to face lung cancer a few years later). WHY? I sat there and questioned as the pastor retold the story of what all the Newell family had been through. How does anyone "deserve" all this? Ever.

Yet Jack and Frieda (and even the entire family when Drew...then Brian... passed away) have praised God every. single. step. of. the. way. Their faith never even quivering, never questioning. They are such a true testimony and I am so blessed just to have their influence and prayers in my life. They were there for me when my dad passed in 2008, two months before our wedding, but I know without shadow of a doubt that my faith, my God, is the ONLY thing that got me through that sudden, tragic loss. That whole remainder of that year really. It is still a blur. My husband/family/friends, yes of course, the best support system anyone could ask for...but when you dig deep, if you don't have the "peace that passes all understanding", I don't know how anyone would ever make it through. I just remember days...weeks after daddy's passing...I would drive in my car, listening to His Radio, tears streaming down my face...just praying and praising. Yes, praising. Outraged and so angry, I just praised Him. Every chance I could, just like this song says...because no matter what, God is good all the time and all the time God is good. You praise Him when on top of the mountain and you praise Him in the valleys. Our family has been through a lot of pain, suffered a lot of loss in the past seven or so years, but we have also been abundantly and richly blessed.

One other thing that laid this on my heart is that today is also Pregnancy/Infant Loss Remembrance Day and again, I've got a lot of friends who have went through miscarriages (some even very recently. You know who you are), like myself or even lost a child...seriously, can not imagine... so I thought I would share a song that has spoken to me over the past few years. If you have ever lost a loved one, grab a tissue bc you can not make it through the whole video without tears. 

Be sure to listen carefully to John Piper's words, midway through the song. "All of it is TOTALLY meaningful"...no matter what you're going through... no matter how many tearful times you ask God "WHY?". Even when it feels SO hard to praise Him. This is such a great reminder that HIS power and HIS plan is far greater than our own, and He's always...always...all you will ever need.

Please continue to keep the Newell family in prayer! :: Psalm 147:5 ::